title: PTSD modifies performance on a task of affective executive control among deployed OEF/OIF veterans with mild traumatic brain injury.
abstract: Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) show a cognitive bias for threatening information, reflecting dysregulated executive control for affective stimuli. This study examined whether comorbid mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) with PTSD exacerbates this bias. A computer-administered Affective Go/No-Go task measured reaction times (RTs) and errors of omission and commission to words with a non-combat-related positive or negative valence in 72 deployed United States service members from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Incidents of military-related mTBI were measured with the Boston Assessment of Traumatic Brain Injury-Lifetime. PTSD symptoms were measured with the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale. Participants were divided into those with (mTBI+, n = 34) and without a history of military-related mTBI (mTBI-, n = 38). Valence of the target stimuli differentially impacted errors of commission and decision bias (criterion) in the mTBI+ and mTBI- groups. Specifically, within the mTBI+ group, increasing severity of PTSD symptoms was associated with an increasingly liberal response pattern (defined as more commission errors to negative distractors and greater hit rate for positive stimuli) in the positive compared to the negative blocks. This association was not observed in the mTBI- group. This study underscores the importance of considering the impact of a military-related mTBI and PTSD severity upon affective executive control.
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Center for Traumatic Brain Injury and Stress Disorders, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA. melissa.amick@va.gov
authors.forename: Melissa M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Amick
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Catherine B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Fortier
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esterman
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Rasmusson
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kenna
authors.forename: William P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Milberg
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McGlinchey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*